Acts 24:24-27
I heard a story several years ago, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Of course it’s just an imaginary story to prove a point, but that point is a serious one to make. One day Satan convened a committee in Hell. The subject was what to do about the Gospel. Everyone agreed that it was making too much headway, and they had to do something about the souls lost to it every day. One demon suggested that they try to discount the Resurrection. That was immediately rejected, since there’s too much historical evidence that it happened. Another submitted that they should promote the rise of atheism, so that people would reject a belief in God and the Bible altogether. Of course that was tossed out, since anyone with a half-way open mind can see that all this didn’t all happen by chance. Another one tried to promote false religions. They all agreed that that course was making some progress, but not enough. The Gospel was just too attractive compared to anything they could create.
But then Satan motioned for silence. He said that they could never really fight the Gospel with any of these methods, since the truth was not on their side. So he commanded that they focus on their most tried-and-true method. Whenever someone was in danger of believing in Christ, they'd just whisper in his ear that he could trust in Jesus tomorrow. And that would eventually land the lost soul into the Abyss.
My friend, what’s the deadliest sin? Well, some say it’s murder. But there are murderers in Heaven right now. On earth they had blood on their hands, but before they died they threw themselves on the mercy of God’s court, and found Another’s blood which would cover them forever. Some might say adultery, and that’s pretty serious. But David was guilty of both murder and adultery, and he found forgiveness. And of course pride--being the ultimate anti-God state of mind--is a good contender.
I think a great case can be made that it’s procrastination. I honestly believe that this one character flaw will send more people to Hell than all the atheists’ arguments combined.
That’s the case with Felix. He seemed to have an open mind to listen to what Paul said. It looks like he wasn’t fooled too much by the false accusations from the Jews. Paul, like he always did, turned the subject towards his favorite one, namely that of the Good News about his Savior. It also seems like Felix showed some interest in this “Jesus” whom Paul couldn’t shut up about.
But when Paul started talking about things like “righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come,” a cold sweat broke out on the governor and that was the end of the conversation.
Please notice that the governor didn’t end it with “Enough Paul! This is all a bunch of baloney!” He didn’t reject it outright. No, he put off the decision. He told him “When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” “When I find it convenient.” Yeah. Right. In case you didn't figure it out, there's no record of Felix ever becoming a believer. If that's correct, he ended up in the same place as any other lost person who died as a murderer or adulterer.
If you’re not a believer in Christ and you’re reading these words, that might be your response. You know you need to respond to him in faith and obedience. But it’s not convenient right now. Trust me, the only time you’ll ever be able to respond to Christ is now. Please don’t follow Felix's example and end up in the same place he did. If this applies to you, please read this.
If you’re a follower of Christ, then don’t think you’re off the hook here. Yes, you’re saved, but you can make the same sort of mistake. If you know someone who’s not saved, do they know about Jesus? Have you told them? Have you expressed to them the urgency of trusting Christ now? Or are you waiting until it’s more convenient?
Lord Jesus, I’m so sorry about being chained to the word “convenient.” Please forgive and change me.
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